NEW YORK -- A Long Island woman who was mauled by two pit bulls in September was released from the hospital today in time to spend Thanksgiving with her family.
Shashi Bala Sharma, 62, has been in the hospital for two months. She was attacked in late September by two, 90-pound pit bulls while she was walking near a school in North Merrick.
“I want to say this from the bottom of my heart that I am highly grateful,” Sharma told reporters, including CBS 2′s Kathryn Brown. Sharma added that she was “still recovering every day.”
Sharma suffered serious lacerations to the head and deep lacerations to the left arm and both legs.
Sharma was put into a medically induced coma and doctors at Nassau University Medical Center were extremely concerned she might lose her left arm.
Sharma was walking on a track near her Merrick home when the dogs came out of the woods and attacked her — ripping into her arms and legs and tearing skin and muscle from bone as she fought for her life.
“I’ve never seen an animal attack that resulted in this much tissue destruction,” Riina said.
Doctors, however, said Sharma has made an incredible recovery, and not only will she be able to walk again, she will be able to run again if she so chooses, 1010 WINS’ Carol D’Auria reported.
Sharma uses a walker and she’ll probably need one more surgery down the road, doctors said. She’ll probably be able to walk without the aid of a walker soon, doctors added.
“I am highly grateful to Dr. Riina and his medical staff,” Sharma said. “Without that today wouldn’t have been possible.”
One of the pit bulls was shot and killed by officers who responded to the scene at the time of the attack. The second dog was shot and killed by police in October.
Police say the animals also attacked a 67-year-old man.
(CBSLocal - Nov 22, 2011)
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